Cultural and Linguistic Competence Resources
National Center for Cultural Competence Self-Assessments
An Overview of Multicultural Issues in Children’s Mental Health
Disparities in for diverse communities are well documented. Several studies and landmark reports have systematically highlighted the barriers to treatment communities of color face and the lack of quality of care they receive once they access care. This document will explore and summarize disparities in access and quality issues in children’s mental health for four racial- and ethnic-group: African American, Asian American, Latino/Hispanic American, and American Indian/Alaska Native.
We realize that these designations fail to capture the diversity and richness within each group in terms of country of origin; migration history to the United States, whether freely made or forced; the resettlement process; and a range of current experiences of discrimination, socioeconomic status, and ethnic identity across generations. All of these differences have important implications in the real or perceived stigma, barriers, recognition, and treatment of serious emotional or mental problems.
PLACE MATTERS Addresses Social, Economic and Environmental Conditions
PLACE MATTERS is a national initiative designed to build the capacity of leaders and communities to identify and address social, economic, and environmental conditions that shape health and life opportunities. Begun in 2006, 19 PLACE MATTERS teams now work in 27 jurisdictions around the country to raise awareness of the fact that the spaces and places where people live, work, study, and play directly and indirectly affect health, and to improve these conditions through policy and systems change. In particular, because of persistent segregation in schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces, the spaces occupied by people of color tend to host a higher concentration of health risks relative to wealthier and whiter communities, while lacking geographic and financial access to health-enhancing resources.
Video describing Place Matters
CLAS Standards Resources & Assessments
Understanding the CLAS Standards
This PowerPoint presentation provides information about the new national CLAS Standards, including the rationale for CLAS, components of CLAS standards, culturally appropriate interventions informed by the CLAS standards, and organizational supports for cultural and linguistic competence.
Click here to access the PowerPoint Presentation
CLC Assessment Tool: Based on the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (CLAS Standards)
A key component of System of Care values is Cultural and Linguistic Competence, also known as CLC. Cultural and Linguistic Competence is defined as a set of behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a System of Care and enable that system to work effectively in cross-cultural situations (Cross, et al, 1989). Put another way, cultural competence refers to a program’s ability to honor and respect the beliefs, interpersonal styles, attitudes and behaviors of children, youth and families who are receiving services and supports and the multicultural staff who are providing services (Roberts et al., 1990). Therefore, cultural competence involves applying a multidimensional model that includes cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, and cultural skill development in developing and providing services for culturally diverse groups (Sue, 2001).
Disparities
Emerging Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) and Status Offenses
In 1988, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act required that states participating in the Act’s formula grant program develop and implement plans to address disproportionate minority confinement of juveniles in secure facilities, including jails and lockups. At that time, nearly 7 out of 10 youth in these facilities were minority youth, an overrepresentation of more than double their percentage in the general population.
A Blueprint for Using Data to Reduce Disparities/Disproportionalities in Human Services and Behavioral Health Care
Communities and states across the country are developing and implementing effective strategies to reduce D&D. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released its first-ever HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. An overarching priority in this plan is to assess the impact of federal investments, such as grants, on the reduction of disparities in communities across the country. A Blueprint for Using Data to Reduce Disparities/Disproportionalities in Human Services and Behavioral Health Care (Blueprint) will be a useful tool to address this Secretarial priority and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Disparity Impact Strategy.
Implementation Resources
A System of Care Guide to Implementing Cultural and Linguistic Competence
Cultural and linguistic competence (CLC) is a core value of system of care (SOC) communities. It is defined as: “a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or amongst professionals and enables that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.”1 Cultural and linguistic competence is the responsibility of every SOC team member, the governance structure and community partners. All should be champions of promoting, infusing and implementing CLC within their system and broader community. This guide informs how the CLC Coordinator and all SOC individuals and agencies can partner to infuse CLC throughout their child-and youth-serving systems.
A Treatment Improvement Protocol: Improving Cultural Competence
The development of culturally responsive clinical skills is vital to the effectiveness of behavioral health services. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), cultural competence “refers to the ability to honor and respect the beliefs, languages, interpersonal styles, and behaviors of individuals and families receiving services, as well as staff members who are providing such services. Cultural competence is a dynamic, ongoing developmental process that requires a long-term commitment and is achieved over time”(HHS 2003a, p. 12). It has also been called “a set of behaviors, attitudes, and policies that . . . enable a system, agency, or group of professionals to work effectively in crosscultural situations”(Cross et al. 1989, p. 13).
Cultural & Linguistic Competence: Implementation Guide
Findings from Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (2001) indicate that mental health disparities are inextricably linked to race, culture, and ethnicity. People of color, as well as members of other underserved cultural groups, have less access to, and availability of, mental health services. Even when services are available, members of these groups tend to receive a poorer quality of care that does not meet their unique needs. These findings were further supported in the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health Report (2003). As a result, addressing disparities in mental health treatment was established as one of the main goals of the New Freedom Initiative (NFI), which recommends a fundamental transformation of the nation’s approach to mental health. The NFI mandates the provision of necessary services and supports to enable all Americans with mental illness, including people of color and other diverse groups, to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their homes and communities. In response to this mandate, the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch (CAFB) of the Center for Mental Health Services established the delivery of culturally and linguistically competent services as a priority for the CAFB, its program partners, and system of care communities.